Sink connection support for waste disposal apparatus



Oct. 29, 1963 J. w. YARTZ ETAI'. 3,108,755

SINK CONNECTIQN SUPPORT FOR WASTE DISPOSALAPPARATUS Filed Aug. 22. 1961 39 4k. 5 I I 44 I I 4| 9 INVENTORS J'OHNNY w. YARTZ 8 FRANCIS :r. CLEMENTS THEIR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,193,755 SINK CONNETN SUPPQRT FGR WASTE DISPOSAL APPARATUS Johnny W. Yartz, Anchorage, and Francis J. Clements, Louisville, Ky., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 22, 196i, Ser. No. 133,219 8 Claims. (Cl. 241--lil0.5)

This invention relates to apparatus for the disposal of waste material wherein garbage and other kitchen wastes are comminuted in the presence of water by power driven comminuting means to a flowable state and the resultant mixture flushed to the waste disposal system of the house, and is especially applicable to such a disposal apparatus which is to be connected in a cramped working space between the drain opening of a stationary sink and the stationary piping portions of the waste disposal system for the house.

The invention contemplates the provision in apparatus of this kind of improved quick-connect means for attaching the apparatus to and supporting it from the sink in proper relation to the sink drain opening and in proper relation to the stationary piping of the plumbing system receiving waste material from the apparatus. The invention also contemplates the provision of such means which includes in its construction features which permit the quick assembly and disassembly of the comminuting apparatus, with respect to the sink and to the plumbing system, by a single work. Moreover, the invention also contemplates the provision of such means which includes in its construction features which serve to isolate from the sink and plumbing system, vibrations incident to the operation of the apparatus.

Briefly stated in accordance with one aspect of this invention we provide a food waste disposer having a cylindrical hopper enclosing a comminuting chamber and which hopper is rotatably adjustable around its vertical axis betwen a first or installed position and a second or removing position for purposes of installing or removing it with respect to a stationary sink. The hopper is adapted to have rigidly attached thereto a motor housing containing a power :dn'ven motor connected to a rotatable comminuting assembly disposed in the hopper and with a drain connect-ion extending from the housing and which is to be connected to the stationary portions of the house drainage system. This hopper and motor housing is adapted to be handled as a unit during installation and removal of the apparatus with respect to the stationary sink. We also provide a cylindrical supporting sleeve for the unit, which sleeve is arranged to be mounted in the drain opening of the sink and to be d-et-achably conne-ctable to the hopper for support of the entire unit from that sleeve. In one 'form of our invention, the detachable connection includes a plurality of hook-like members spaced from each other circumierentially of the sleeve and indirectly supported at their upper ends from the sleeve, the lower ends of these members being detachably engageable with the hopper adjacent its upper end. The hopper carries a first or hookengaging means adjacent its upper end for engaging the hopper in supported relation with the lower ends of those hook-like members when the hopper is in its first angular position, and has a built-in second or hook-displacing means for canuning the members into a non-supporting relation with the hopper when the hopper is rotated into its second annular position. A vibration-dampening and water sealing annular boot of rubber or the like is attached at the upper rim of the hopper in suitable relation to both the hopper and the hook-like members in order to reduce transmission of vibrations from the hopper to the sleeve or sink and without interference to the installing or removing of the apparatus with respect to the sink. The connection 3 ,l3,755 Patented Oct. 29, 1963 ice structure will permit quick assembly of the entire unit with the sleeve and proper directing of the drain connection of that unit-toward the stationary portion of the house drainage system by a single worker. The worker merely lifts the hopper and its attached parts while in the first angular position into telescopic relation with the lower end of the sleeve and then continuing to raise the unit until the hopper is snapped into locking engagement with the hook members and finally allowing the hopper and its attached parts to be lowered into its ope-rating position in which it is supported by the hook-like members engaging under the first means carried by the hopper. Moreover, the connection structure will permit quick removal merely by lifting the hopper and its attached parts while in its first angular position until the lower ends of the hook-like members are in a plane below the first means carried by the hopper, turning the hopper into its second angular position, and finally allowing the hopper and its attached parts to be lowered away from the sleeve as the second means on the hopper displaces the hook-like members into non-supporting relation with the hopper.

, For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of food waste disposal apparatus embodying one form of this invention and with the parts being shown in the first angular supported position occupied by the hopper;

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view of a portion of the hopper and connection structure taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detail view taken of the hopper on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing a portion of the hopper, sleeve, and connection structure in the second position after the hopper has been raised to its full extent and turned approximately 45 from the first position on FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, this invention has been shown in one form as applied to food waste disposal apparatus having a generally cylindrical tubular hopper 16 enclosing a comminuting chamber 11 at the bottom of which the grinding or shredding of the waste material takes place. Any suitable comminuting means may be employed, as for example, the rotatable comminutiug assembly disclosed and claimed in copending application, Serial No. 133,143 filed August 22, 1961 by Johnny W. Yartz and assigned to the General Electric Company, the assignee of the present application. Briefly, the assembly comprises a circular flywheel 12 forming a bottom of the comminuting chamber and engaging a retainer 13 driven from shaft 14 of an electric motor 15. An impeller 16 pivotally mounted from the retainer 13 serves to drive the contents of the hopper into shredding contact with a stationary shredding pad 17 mounted on the inner wall of the hopper, and a mixture of water and comminuted waste passes from the hopper through apertures 13 in a stationary annular metering ring 19 which is held in place between the hopper and the motor housing 20 through the action of a clamping ring 21.

The motor housing includes a sloping bottom drainage chamber 22 receiving the mixture of water and comminuted waste and this chamber leads to a drain opening or outlet 23 extending laterally from the motor housing. A suitable conduit 24 sealed within the drain opening as by a seal 25 connects with the stationary portion of the house drainage system (not shown) and it is a feature of our invention that upon assembling of the apparatus the drain opening 23 may be suitably oriented with respect to the house drainage system so that a minimum of eiiort and plumbing connections will be required thereafter to put the installed apparatus into operative employment.

The hopper 10 may conveniently be formed of sheet metal, stainless steel being a satisfactory material, and at its upper peripheral open end is embedded in a gen- =4) erally annular shaped boot or the like 30 formed of an elastomeric material such as hard rubber. Water and waste material is supplied to the open end of the hopper from the drain opening 31 provided in the household sink, the bottom wall of the basin of which is shown at 32. In accordance with our invention, the means for supporting the hopper and motor housing from that sink may comprise a cylindrical tubular sleeve or sink flange 33 which is arranged to be inserted down through the sink opening 31 and at its upper end being provided with an outwardly extending circular flange 34 adapted to overlie the annular marginal edge of the sink opening. The lower end of the sleeve is formed with an inturned flange 35 which will support a suitable sink stopper 36. The sleeve 33 not only serves to feed the waste material to the open upper end of the hopper but it also serves as the supporting means for that hopper and its attached motor housing. This may be accomplished by means of an annular metal mounting ring 37 which encircles the depending sleeve 33 and is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced bosses 38 with bolts 39 th-readedly engaged in the respective bosses. The mounting ring 37 lies in a substantially horizontal plane normal to the axis of the sleeve 33 and of the hopper 10. These bosses and corresponding bolts are spaced at generally uniform intervals around the circumference of the ring 37 consistent with the spacing of the first hook-engaging means and the second hook-displacing means associated with the hopper and later to be described, three such bosses and bolts being suitable. The ring 37 with the bolts 39 is supported from the sleeve 33 by means of a snap ring or the like 40 which is pressed against an outwardly facing circular groove 41 formed in the sleeve. Thus the bolts may function to clamp the flange 34 to the wall 32 of the sink by means of a metallic clamping ring 42 encircling the sleeve above the mounting ring 37, it being understood that when the bolts 39 are screwed upwardly they will clamp the peripheral wall portion of the sink opening 31 tightly between the flange 34 on the sleeve and the ring 42. Preferably, a vibration-dampening gasket 43 encircling the sleeve will be positioned between the bottom of the sink and the ring 42.

The mounting ring 37 further serves to support the hopper 10 from the sleeve 33 and for this purpose the ring 37 is provided with a plurality of pairs of separate parallel apertures 44, 45, each pair of such apertures being spaced generally uniformly from each other around the circumference of the ring 37, four pairs of such apertures being suitable and with the location thereof being to one side of the bosses 38 formed in the same ring. Each of the apertures is elongated in a-d-irection generally tangentially of the ring 37 and the width of the inner aperture 45 of each pair is greater than the width of its companion outer aperture 44.

Mounted in each pair of apertures is a metallic hook member 49 having a downwardly extending outer leg 50, a horizontally directed section 51 overlying the surface of ring 37 between the apertures 44 and 45 and a long downwardly extending inner leg 52 terminating in an upwardly directed loop section 53 including the hopper supporting end 54 thereof. The larger width of aperture 45 permits the hook member to utilize a built-in resilient bias of the hook member urging the loop section 53 normally toward the axis of ring 37, the outer leg 50 of the same member being confined as by welding thereof to the ring 37 or by close confinement within the walls of its anchoring aperture 44. It is preferred to employ a uniform cross-section throughout the entire book member thus providing an elongated end 54 thereof which will give a substantial area of supporting contact with the first hook-engaging means carried by the hopper and now to be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the boot 30 is securely clamped about its lowermost outer periphery by a circumferentially extending metallic band 60, the ends of which are suitably attached to each other as by means of a screw 61 extending therethrough, one such end 62 of the band being shown. This clamping band is provided with a plurality of downwardly-extending inwardly-directed arcuate ledges 63 corresponding in number to the number of hook-like members and circumferentially spaced from each other about the periphery of the boot. Each of the ledges, moreover, subtends a substantial angular angle as measured from the center axis of the boot, for example, an angle of about 45 leaving a like angle of 45 for the locking portion 53 of the hand between the ledges as seen in FIG. 2. This is particularly useful in aligning the drain outlet 23 for making the sewer connection during assembly of the disposal apparatus.

As will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper wall of the hopper 10 at spaced portions of its periphery is stepped inwardly as shown at 70 and extends upwardly from these stepped-in regions to the upper circular end which is embedded in boot 30, which upper end appears as circular in FIGURE 2 since the view is taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 which is above the steps 70 and 71. Intermediate the portions which are stepped inwardly at 76 are other portions which are stepped outwardly'at a higher region as at 71 in FIG. 1 and which thereafter extend upwardly to complement the first mentioned p-or tions in forming the complete upper cylindrical end. As a result of this construction, a plurality of bulges or salients adapted to cam the hook-like members outwardly against the bias of those members are made available, each of such bulges having a smooth, vertically arranged camming surface 72 which merges along its respectively side edge 73 and 74 as seen in FIG. 2 with the lower steps 70. Thus when the disposer of FIGURE 1 is raised, the clamping band 60 of the hopper will rise above the hook end 54, and simultaneously the camming surface 72 of the hopper will spring the hook ends outwardly. Next, the disposer will be turned about its vertical axis to bring the inclined ledges 63 of the band 60 over the hook ends. Then when the disposer is lowered the ledges 63 will slip past the hook ends and thus the hooks will fail to support the disposer, and the disposer will become disengaged from the hooks. Also, in order to avoid excessive raising of the hopper, as well as to insure a uniform register of that hopper with respect to the underside of mounting ring 37 during the assembling and re moval operations the boot is provided with a plurality of circumferentially-spaced upwardly-extending abutments 75 which limit the upward movement of the hopper.

Accordingly, when the apparatus is to be installed, the worker will grasp the hopper and motor housing as a unit and with the hopper aligned angularly in its first position, that is, with the salient surfaces 72 under the respective loops 53 of the hook-like members 49, and with the drain opening 23 of the motor housing extending generally toward the stationary portion of the drainage system to which it is to be connected, will then raise the hopper until all abutments 75 contact the underside of the mounting ring 37. As this takes place, the ends 54 of the hooklike members 49 automatically snap into place under the locking portions 59 of the band as is seen in FIG. 1 in the band 60. Thereafter the hopper is permitted to move downwardly into the final position shown in FIG. 1 at which time it occupies its first position and with the ends 54 of the hook-like members engaging the rubber boot 30. This represents the operating position of the respective parts of the apparatus and, as will be noted, vibrations imparted to the hopper It will be transmitted to the elastomeric boot 3t) and dampened thereby. The structure of the annular boot preferably is such that the boot remains centered with respect to the cylindrical sleeve 33 at all times, one or more inwardly directed ridges 76 of the boot resting in close contact with that sleeve and serving both a sealing purpose as well as a centering purpose. Moreover, in its assembled position the wall of the hopper 10 is normally out of contact with the loop portion 53 of the hook-like members, as seen in FIG. 5, and a section of elastomeric material of the boot thus is interposed between the clamp ring 60 and the wall of the hopper and serves a further vibration-dampening purpose.

In order to remove the hopper from its assembled position, the worker merely needs to raise the unit upwardly while in its first position until the abutments 75 contact the underside of the supporting ring 37, turn the unit counterclockwise into its second position as shown in FIG. 3, at which time the hopper may be lowered to engage the end 54 of the hooks 49 with the underside of the ledges 63 thereby springing out the hooks and uncoupling the hopper.

While we have shown and described a specific embodiment of our invention we do not desire our invention to be limited to the particular construction shown, and we intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications within the true spirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by etters Patent of the United States is:

1. Waste disposal apparatus for use in connection with a sink having a drain opening, said apparatus comprising a cylindrical tubular sleeve adapted to be disposed in said drain opening in stationary relation thereto, a cylindrical tubular hopper enclosing a comminuting chamber and with an inlet opening at the top of said hopper for receiving water and waste material passing through said sleeve, said hopper being rotatable around a central vertical axis between a first position and a second position, means adapted for supporting said sleeve from a sink so that said sleeve extends downwardly from said drain opening and into communication with said inlet opening of said hopper, means detachably connecting said sleeve and said hopper and including a plurality of inwardly facing hook-like members of resilient material circumferentially arranged around said sleeve and supported therefrom at their upper ends, a hook-engaging means carried by said hopper adjacent the upper end thereof for engagement with the lower ends of said hook-like members and for supporting said hopper when said hopper occupies its first position, and a hook-displacing means on said hopper adjacent its upper end for displacing said hook-like members outwardly into non-supporting relation with said hopper as said hopper is lifted and rotated to its second position and lowered therefrom to relieve said sleeve from supporting said hopper and to permit disengagement of said hopper from said sleeve when said hopper occupies its second position.

2. Waste disposal apparatus for use in connection with a stationary sink having a drain opening, said apparatus comprising a cylindrical tubular sleeve adapted to be disposed in said drain opening, an annular mounting ring encircling said sleeve, means adapted to be interposed between said ring and a stationary portion of said sink for forcing said ring downwardly to a predetermined position, said ring being adapted to engage with said sleeve and to move said sleeve into contact with said sink above said drain opening as said ring is moved to said predetermined position, a cylindrical tubular hopper enclosing a comminuting chamber and receiving water and waste material passing through said sleeve, an annular boot formed of elastomeric material attached to the upper rim of said hopper and adapted to surround the lower end of said sleeve in contact therewith, a clamping band carried by said boot, a plurality of outwardly-extending, circumferentially-spaced cam surfaces on the exterior of said hopper adjacent the upper end thereof, and means for detachably securing said hopper to said sleeve and comprising a plurality of hook-like members circumferentially mounted upon said ring in spaced relation corresponding to the spacing of said cam surfaces, each booklike member having a lower end biased for movement inwardly toward said hopper and adapted to engage automatically under the clamping band to support said hopper when said hopper occupies a first position of rotation about its vertical axis, and to engage with a corresponding cam surface and to be displaced outwardly from engagement with said band when said hopper is raised and then turned to occupy a second position of rotation about its axis, whereby said hopper, while in its second position, may be lowered from said sleeve.

3. The waste disposal apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means interposed between said ring and said sink comprises a plurality of threaded bolts circumferentially spaced about said ring and off-set from the spacing of said hook-like members about the same ring.

4. Waste disposal apparatus for use in connection with a stationary sink having a drain opening, said apparatus comprising a cylindrical tubular sleeve adapted to be disposed in said drain opening, an annular mounting ring encircling said sleeve in a generally horizontal plane, means adapted to be interposed between said ring and a stationary portion of said sink for forcing said ring downwardly to a predetermined position, a cylindrical tubular hopper enclosing a comminuting chamber and receiving water and waste material through said sleeve, an annular boot formed of elastorneric material attached to the upper rim of said hopper and adapted to surround the lower end of said sleeve in contact therewith, said boot having a plurality of circumferentialtly spaced abutments projecting upwardly therefrom, and adapted to contact the lower surface of said ring when said hopper is lifted to its fullest extent, a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate ledges carried by said boot, a plurality of outwardlyextend-ing, circumferentially-spaced cam surfaces on the exterior of said hopper adjacent the upper end thereof, and means for detachably securing said hopper to said sleeve and comprising a plurality of hook-like members circumferentially mounted upon said ring in spaced relation corresponding to the spacing of said ledges and said ca-m surfaces, each hook-like member having a lower end biased for movement inwardly toward said hopper, said lower end being adapted to engage under the boot and to support said hopper when said hopper occupies a first position of rotation about its axis with the abutments of said boot lowered out of contact with said mounting ring, and to engage with a corresponding cam surface and to be displaced outwardly from engagement with said boot when said apparatus is raised and then turned to occupy a second position of rotation about its axis whereby the hooks are engaged by the ledges and sprung outwardly as the apparatus is lowered from the sleeve.

5. The waste disposal apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said ledges comprise an integral portion of a clamping band secured to said boot in spaced relation to the attachment of said hopper to said boot thereby to interpose vibration-dampening material between said hopper and said band, the said lower ends of said hook-like members are formed to remain out of contact with said hopper while occupying its first position thereby to maintain the interposition of said vibration-dampening material between said hopper and said hooks and thus between said hopper and the supporting sleeve.

6. Waste disposal apparatus for use in connection with a stationary sink having a drain opening and a stationary portion of a plumbing system for receiving water and comminuted waste material, said apparatus comprising a cylindrical tubular sleeve adapted to be disposed in said drain opening, an annular mounting ring encircling said sleeve, means adapted to be interposed between said ring and a stationary portion of said sink for forcing said ring downwardly to a predetermined position, said ring being adapted to engage with said sleeve and to move said sleeve into contact with said sink above said drain opening as said ring is moved to said predetermined position, a cylindrical tubular hopper enclosing a comminuting chamber and receiving water and waste material passing through said sleeve, a motor housing rigidly attached to said hopper and containing a drainage chamber having a laterally extending outlet for connection to said stationary portion of said plumbing system, means within said hopper and said motor housing for comminuting waste material and for directing the same to said outlet, an annular boot formed of elastomeric material attached to the upper rim of said hopper and adapted to surround the lower end of said sleeve in contact therewith, a plurality of circumferentially-spaced arcuate ledges carried by said boot, each ledge subtending a radial angle of substantial size as measured from the central axis of said boot, a plurality of outwardly-extending, circumferentially-spaced cam surfaces on the exterior of said hopper adjacent the upper end thereof, and means for detachably securing said hopper and its attached motor housing to said sleeve and comprising a plurality of depending hooklike members circumferentially mounted upon said ring in spaced relation corresponding to the spacing of said ledges and said cam surfaces, each member having a lower end biased for movement inwardly toward said hopper, said lower end being adapted to engage under the boot and to support said hopper and said motor housing when said hopper occupies a first position of rotation about its vertical axis as the hopper is raised until the hook-like members automatically snap into locking engagement with the boot, said first position including the optimum positioning of said outlet from said motor housing in the direction of the stationary portion of said plumbing system, and said lower end of each member being adapted to engage with a corresponding cam surface and to be displaced outwardly from engagement with said boot when said hopper is raised and then turned to occupy a second position of rotation about its axis, whereby said hopper and its attached motor housing may be separated from said sleeve by lowering the hopper so that the ledges will disable the hook members.

7. Food waste disposal apparatus adapted for use with a sink having a drain opening, said apparatus comprising a cylindrical tubular sleeve adapted to be disposed in a fixed relation in a sink drain opening, a vertical hopper having an opening at the upper end for telescopic engagement with the said sleeve for the introduction of waste material therein, rotatable comminuting means at the bottom of the hopper, power means below and operatively connected to the comminuting means, and quick-connect suspension means for hanging the apparatus from the said sleeve, a plurality of hook members of resilient material supported from the sleeve, a sealing boot of elastomeric material fastened to the upper end of the hopper by a clamping band that encircles the boot, the boot having a force :fit with the outer surface of the sleeve to allow for relative movement therebetween, but to prevent water leakage between the sleeve and hopper, the hook members facing inwardly toward the vertical center of the hopper so that the hopper may be raised into telescopic relation with the sleeve and the hook members will automatically engage under the clamping band and contact the boot in a first position for holding the apparatus suspended from the sleeve.

8. A food waste disposer apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein the upper end of the hopper includes cam means for forcing the hook members outwardly when the hopper is raised so that the hopper may be turned to a second position with respect to the hook members, the clamping band including additional cam means which completely disable the hook members as the hopper is lowered.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,772,836 Gebhart Dec. 4, 1956 2,946,525 Thierer July 26, 1960 3,025,007 Wieczorek Mar. 13, 1962 

1. WASTE DISPOSAL APPARATUS FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH A SINK HAVING A DRAIN OPENING, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL TUBULAR SLEEVE ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED IN SAID DRAIN OPENING IN STATIONARY RELATION THERETO, A CYLINDRICAL TUBULAR HOPPER ENCLOSING A COMMINUTING CHAMBER AND WITH AN INLET OPENING AT THE TOP OF SAID HOPPER FOR RECEIVING WATER AND WASTE MATERIAL PASSING THROUGH SAID SLEEVE, SAID HOPPER BEING ROTATABLE AROUND A CENTRAL VERTICAL AXIS BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION AND A SECOND POSITION, MEANS ADAPTED FOR SUPPORTING SAID SLEEVE FROM A SINK SO THAT SAID SLEEVE EXTENDS DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID DRAIN OPENING AND INTO COMMUNICATION WITH SAID INLET OPENING OF SAID HOPPER, MEANS DETACHABLY CONNECTING SAID SLEEVE AND SAID HOPPER AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF INWARDLY FACING HOOK-LIKE MEMBERS OF RESILIENT MATERIAL CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ARRANGED AROUND SAID SLEEVE AND SUPPORTED THEREFROM AT THEIR UPPER ENDS, A HOOK-ENGAGING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID HOPPER ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID HOOK-LIKE MEMBERS AND FOR SUPPORTING SAID HOPPER WHEN SAID HOPPER OCCUPIES ITS FIRST POSITION, AND A HOOK-DISPLACING MEANS ON SAID HOPPER ADJACENT ITS UPPER END FOR DISPLACING SAID HOOK-LIKE MEMBERS OUTWARDLY INTO NON-SUPPORTING RELATION WITH SAID HOPPER AS SAID HOPPER IS LIFTED AND ROTATED TO ITS SECOND POSITION AND LOWERED THEREFROM TO RELIEVE SAID SLEEVE FROM 